Broken Wings
by Laylania
Summary: My broken wings....how far should I go drifting on the wind.... Ion x oc, Esther x Abel Possible OOCness, don't like, don't read
1. Chapter 1

Frantic breathing, harsh and uneven, pushed past delicate faded pink lips as small, boot clad feet pounded upon the cold cobblestones beneath the small, fragile body, still somewhat damp from the day's earlier rain, a few puddles of stagnant water decorating the stone ground here and there, often disturbed by the occasional passer by that failed to notice the young girl that darted past them quickly, nothing more than a fleeting blur of dark green and brown, ringlets of her once elegantly done hair streaming behind her, loose from the waterfall of delicate curls at the top of her head, a few strands clinging to her pale, frightened face as she ran.

Her body was encased within the confines of a deep emerald that reached her mid shin, the sleeves baggy around her lithe arms as her slender hands clenched into fists, short fingernails digging into the soft flesh of her palms as she darted around yet another faceless man, the cuff of her slightly damp coat brushing against him in the faintest of touches, and it went unnoticed as she sped past him.

Underneath the heavy coat, she was dressed in a lavish dress of pale blue, decorated at the collar and bottom by a mix of dark blue and black lace that rubbed against the pale skin of her collarbone, turning the soft flesh a faint, irritated red, though she ignored it as she dashed in a wide circle around a corner, nearly slipping on a pool of dirty water, water droplets splashing upwards and creating damp spots upon the dark fabric of her coat.

Quickly, her fear filled dark green orbs flickered back, unsure if her pursuer was still after her, haunting every step she took. Flitting back to face the front, her eyes slammed shut as she willed her already aching body to go faster, pushing her past her limits and beyond as she sped up, ignoring her legs that screamed at her to stop, and the heavy beating of her frantic heart that echoed in her ears that were pierced with earings of shimmering pearl, the ornaments hidden from sight by her dark hair as she slowed to a stop, chest heaving up and down as her head whipped from the left to the right quickly, eyes searching for an suitable hiding place. Finding nothing, she jerked forward, starting up her quick pace once more, arms swinging wildly at her sides as though that would help her run faster.

She had to get away, to get away from _them._ If she were caught by _him_, she would be, without a doubt, taken back to _them_ and locked away in _that_ place, no longer allowed to be outside of _there_ for even the briefest of moments, and barred away, hidden and never allowed to see the pale shine of the sun anymore, not until the day she died. The very thought of what would happen to her if she were caught brought tears to her eyes, and they blurred her vision as she blinked rapidly, trying to clear the saltly liquid from her usually acute vision, and it failed as her eyes misted over rapidly once more, and she slowed as she raised an arm to rub at her eyes.

As if tripped by an invisible, unseen force, she stumbled, boot clad feet faltering clumsily and she landed in a graceless, exhausted heap infront of someone, who took a step back in surprise before letting out a soft, 'oh!'.

Gasping for air as her lungs burned, the young girl looked up, deep emerald eyes staring a pair of daintily white boot clad feet, and her gaze traveled up farther to meet with worry filled blue, and startling red hair that was partially hidden by a white hat with a blue cross on it.

_'A terran....'_ thought the girl, though she threw caution to the wind as she threw her arms around one of the woman's legs, clinging to her as her eyes closed. "Help me..." she whimpered, her soft, exhaustion tainted voice reaching the young woman's ears, and the young woman's deep azure gaze softened as she bent down, placing a gentle hand on the young girl's faintly damp brown curls, making the girl look up.

The woman bit back a startled gasp as the younger girl's shimmering forest green irises locked with hers, and she took in the unnaturally pale skin, and seemingly flawless features before coming to a mental conclusion. _'This child....she's a methusela!'_ she thought, though she disregared the nagging voice in the back of her head as she pulled the girl to her feet, helping support her as the girl nearly toppled over, her eyes half-lidded with fatigue and the redhaired woman gently guided her down the street as she glanced down at her.

"Don't worry. I'll see if I can help you, okay? But first, we need to get you changed out of these wet clothes!" she chimed, smiling brightly as the brown haired girl looked up with uncertain green eyes before a small smile flickered onto her lips. "What's your name?" inquired the blue eyed woman, and the brown haired girl looked to the ground.

"My name is Azmarie." she answered in her soft, childlike voice that reminded the woman so much of a blonde haired, crimson eyed methusela, and she smiled to herself as they reached a rather large privet inn, and the woman led Azmarie in to the establishment, just as the said green eyed female looked up. "What is your name?" she asked, and the woman looked down with a smile.

"I'm Esther." she introduced herself, and Azmarie smiled gently, closing her eyes for a moment as she turned away. She was safe, for now. She knewthat _they_ wouldn't attack her if she were with a terran, and her scent would have been long washed away by the light drizzle that had started up outside. "Come on, Azmarie." Ester gently chided, and Azmarie looked up to see Ester heading up the stairs, and she stumbled after her clumsily, followed Ester to a tall oak door at the end of the hallway, and Ester motioned for Azmarie to hang back for a moment as she knocked on the door twice. "Father Nightroad?" she asked, hearing a small scuffle of feet on the floor from within the room before it opened, revealing a man with silver hair that was pulled into a low ponytail, and smiling dark blue eyes that were hidden behind the glasses he wore.

"Ah,Sister Esther, welcome back. I trust you were safe on the way back?" he asked gently, an undercurrent of worry hidden within his soft, comforting voice and Esther nodded before peeking into the room.

"Where's Sir Ion?" she inquired, and Abel rubbed the back of his head as he smiled.

"He's getting a shower, he'll be out soon..." Abel trailed off as he caught a flash of dark brown ringlets and irredescent green eyes, and he blinked as a young girl, no older than Ion, stepped out from behind Esther, looking up at him with nervous green orbs, and he looked up as Esther placed a hand on either of the girl's shoulders, and smiled at the silver haired man.

"Father Nightroad, this is Azmarie. I found her outside..." trailed off Esther, and Abel nodded, knowing she would give him the full explanation later. Glancing back down at the silent Azmarie, he grinned.

"Hello miss Azmarie, my name is Abel Nightroad." he introduced himself, and Azmarie bowed slightly, brown curls falling infront of her green clad shoulders as she gave a shaky, wavering smile, the corners of her delicate lips twitching upwards.

"Ah!" said Esther, as though she was just remembering something, and she turned towards Azmarie. "We still need to get you out of those wet clothes, or you'll catch cold." she chided in a motherly voice, and Azmarie nodded, fumbling with the buttons of her coat and sliding it off her shoulders, leaving her clad in her elegant dress of pale blue and lace. Turning towards Esther, she gave the blue eyed woman a confused look as if to say 'now what?'. Esther blinked, opening her mouth as she prepared to say something, when a door within the room swung open, and a pale skinned boy with blonde hair and deep crimson eyes walked out, wearing nothing but a pair of long black pants, leaving his chest bare of a shirt and he blinked as he turned, smiling at Esther.

"Welcome back, Esther!" he greeted, and Azmarie shifted, catching Ion's attention as he turned towards her, dark green orbs clashing with suprised crimson before Azmarie's gaze flickered away, uncomfortable with his stare as she moved towards Esther, who smiled at her before turning back to Ion.

"Sir Ion, this is Azmarie." she said, and Azmarie took a few steps forward, bowing slightly before straitening up.

"It's nice to meet you, Sir Ion Fortuna."


	2. Chapter 2

Azmarie leaned against the cool wall of the shower, allowing the hot water to cascade over her pale skinned body, heating up the cold flesh and sending shivers down her spine as she listened to the muted conversation just outside the bathroom, and she sighed, brushing a few strands of dark brown hair away from her face with slender fingers, deciding to get out of the shower, lest she catch a cold and create more problems for the nice people that had taken her in.

She was surprised that they had accepted her so easily without suspiscion or interrogating her, though she welcomed the change, it was like a breath of fresh air when people didn't flinch around her, nor did they try to control her like some puppet, guiding her with invisible strings. She was not _their_ playtoy, nor would she be _controlled_ as such, not anymore.

Turning off the water, Azamarie dried her hair before changing into the simple ruffled lace nightdress that Esther was kind enough to loan her, the hem reaching her ankles as she slipped it on, pulling her hair out from the collar so that it cascaded down her back in damp, curly locks before drying her face and opening the door.

"Ah, Azmarie!" greeted Esther as she stepped out of the bathroom, and the pale skinned female flashed the red haired woman a smile as she pulled at the night dress.

"Thank you for allowing me to borrow this, Esther." she thanked quietly, and Esther smiled, waving a hand in dismissal.

"It's not a problem, really." she said before blinking, saphhire orbs locking with dark veridian as she asked, "Are you hungry?"

Azmarie froze, shifting uncomfortably as she looked away, voice raising barely above a whisper as she answered, "Yes."

"Here you go." Said Abel, producing a glass of thick crimson from no where and holding it out towards Azmarie, who blinked.

_'How did he know I'm-'_ she cut off her own thoughts, gaze flickering to Esther. _'She must have told them.'_

Quietly, Azmarie took the offered glass and thanked Abel before tilting the glass to her dainty lips, swallowing the thick, bitter tasting substance without hesitation, insatiable hunger that had been blazing in both her throat and stomach fading as she finished off the glass of blood, residue wiped away as she handed the glass back to Abel.

Blinking, she turned towards Esther and bowed. "I never got to thank you properly for aiding me." she said politely, tone soft as Esther blinked and smiled.

"You're welcome!" she said in return, and Azmarie bit her lip before steeling her nerves.

"If you don't mind me asking...um.." the brown haired methusela toyed with the sleeves of the nightdress. "C-could I...travel with you...for a while?" She looked up, eyes widening as she continued, "I-I mean, y-you don't have to say yes i-if you don't want...."

Esther stared at the small, almost child like girl for a moment before exchanging a glance with Abel and standing up, kneeling down in front of the green eyed girl and pulling her into a hug, earning a soft gasp from the younger girl. "Of course you can." she said, and Azmarie's eyes softened.

"Thank you." she said and Esther smiled before pulling away and standing up, blinking as Azmarie yawned softly.

"You can sleep in the bed over to the right." the red haired woman said, pointing to said bed, and Azmarie nodded slowly before walking over and clambering in, pulling the sheets over her slender body before laying her head on the pillow, almost instantly falling asleep as her eyes slid shut, breathing evening out.

"Poor girl," murmured Abel, "I wonder what happened to her?"

"She looked so frightened when she bumped into me." added Esther, casting a worried look over towards the brown haired methusela as Ion pushed away from the table and bade both of them a good night before heading to bed himself.

_Dream Sequence_

_Azmarie gripped her kneecaps, curling into a small ball as her fingernails dug into the flesh of her legs and she grit her teeth, eyes narrowing as footsteps approached her._

_"Are you ready to give up, princess?" asked an older yet handsome looking male with curly brown hair that almost matched her own and piercing blue green eyes as he stared at her, narrowly dodging the silver blade aimed for his head._

_Arm outstretched from her attack, Azmarie growled. "No! I'm not going to give up! What you're doing is wrong, brother."_

_Smirking, the male tossed the dagger, smirk widening as Azmarie shrieked, blade piercing her left shoulder, cutting through the delicate flesh as crimson blossomed from the wound. "You'll give up, soon enough dear sister."_

_End Dream Sequence_

Jerking upright, Azmarie stiffled the small gasp that escaped her lips, dark brown ringlets falling around her slender body as she glanced around, small beads of sweat trailing down her pallid face as she ran a hand through her hair and sighed before curling into a ball and glancing towards the window. "Sister...I'll...keep my promise." she murmured before falling onto her back and trying to go back to sleep.

Eyes fluttering open as soft sunlight hit them, Azmarie sat up as the light was cut off, and she glanced at Abel, who was pulling the black curtains around the window, blocking the sun's rays as he smiled at her. "Good morning!" he greeted.

"Good morning." she greeted back before glancing around, finding Ion still sleeping in the bed near hers, Esther no where in sight, meaning she was either still asleep or she had gone somewhere.

Slipping out of bed, Azmarie stretched, pulling her hair away from her face with a pale blue silk ribbon from the pocket of her now dry cloak, turning as the rustling of sheets reached her ears, and Ion sat up, rubbing at his eyes sleepily. Smiling gently, Azmarie's deep veridian eyes glimmered as she said, "Good morning, Sir Ion!"

"Good morning, Azmarie. And please, just call me Ion." said the blonde in a gentle voice, and Azmarie nodded as Esther came back in with a tray holding two glasses of orange juice and muffins, setting them on the table for her and Abel to eat.

Dressed in the pale blue and black laced dress from the night before, Esther gave Azmarie an apologetic glance. "Sorry, we'll have to find you some new clothes in the next town."

Azmarie shook her head with a soft smile. "It's okay, I don't mind."

"We should head out now." said Abel, packing up his things. Esther nodded and packed up her things as well, and she, Ion and Azmarie followed Abel out of the room and down the stairs, where Abel thanked the woman at the reception desk before they headed out into the town.


	3. Chapter 3

**Authoress Notes:** I'm back! –dances around like an idiot-

**Acknowledgements:**

To _I'm-so-loveable:_ Yeah, I kind of got the name from Chrono Crusade which is a really good anime. Kind of sad at the end, though. Made me cry.

To _xAngelic:_ Yes, Azmarie is my OC. And the summary was basically a line from the lyrics to the ending of Trinity blood. Nothing really significant, to be honest. I like that song a lot. XD

To _':_ Why thank-you!

**Claim:** I own Azmarie.

**Disclaim:** I dun't own Trinity Blood. Or the adorable methusela known as Ion Fortuna. Can anyone believe that Mirka Fortuna—Ion's grandmother—faked her own death and allowed Ion to take the blame? Ugh, what a –censored- and in the manga, Ion kind of looks like a girl, no?

~*~

Now that she took the time to really observe it, this city was really quite wonderful. It was abundantly bright and full of life, people chattering and buying things, vendors calling out in efforts to bring in people to buy their food or clothing and other objects.

She craned her head every which way, staring at everything with wide viridian eyes. She had never really been outside for an extended period of time before. _They_ had been afraid that she would try and escape, so she was kept inside, like a bird in a cage. And before now, she had been terrified that she would never be free. She had been like a bird with her wings clipped.

Azmarie shuddered, dispersing those thoughts as her eyes slid shut for a moment and she stopped walking. Glancing over, Ion paused to wait for her. Her eyes sliding back open, she hurried forward, rejoining him so that they could continue to follow Esther and Abel. Still, the thoughts of being caged and tortured for _their _amusement plagued her mind, and a light frown tugged at her lips, forehead creasing in worry.

_They_ would be coming back for her soon. It wasn't like _them_ to leave her alone for this long, not after so many failed attempts to escape. She thought that _they_ would've sent someone else to come and bring her back, and yet she couldn't sense anything that might be _them_. But _their_ absence was enough to put her on her guard, no matter how bright and peaceful this city seemed.

"Is something bothering you?" the light, questioning voice of Ion broke Azmarie out of her thoughts, and she turned towards him, her eyes connecting with his. He frowned, worry faint in his crimson orbs. "You've been silent the entire time."

"I-It's nothing." Stammered Azmarie and when Ion gave her a skeptical look, she waved her hands in front of her for emphasis. He raised a light blonde eyebrow but shrugged, letting it drop. Azmarie mushroom sighed in relief, happy that he had dropped the subject. She turned her attention towards the sky, which was cloudy and overcast, making this a good opportunity to get some fresh air. She and Ion had to be careful if it was sunny, due to the fact that their skin was sensitive to sunlight.

Turning her attention away from the sky, the brown haired, green-eyed female resisted the urge to sigh, biting her lip in anxiety. She had a bad feeling that refused to fade no matter how hard she willed it to go away. "You know," began Ion, turning towards her and drawing her out of her thoughts once more. "You remind me of someone I used to know." His tone was bitter towards the end.

"Who?" asked Azmarie, though she had a feeling that she already knew whom it was.

"His name was Radu." He spoke quietly, tone tinged with the bitter taste of betrayal and hurt. "He betrayed me, when I needed him the most." He grit his teeth, and his hands clenched into fists.

Fear gripped Azmarie's intestines like a hot branding iron, curling painfully to the point where she felt the blood drain away from her face, and her world faded to a light, grainy gray. She felt her knees go out from underneath her, striking the ground and she threw her hands out in front of her out of instinct. Her fingers grasped at the smooth stone, and she was vaguely aware of Ion calling her name worriedly.

'_No…why…h-he knows Radu?'_ She thought, remaining silent. Her vision cleared, however, when slender hands grasped her shoulders, hauling her back to her feet and remaining there, as if their owner was afraid that she would collapse without their support. And to be honest, Azmarie felt like she would faint were it not for those strong hands. She trembled.

"What's wrong?" asked Ion, searching the female methusela's face before his eyes narrowed, and his grip tightened. "You know Radu, don't you."

"No…I…" came Azmarie's weak, wispy tone of voice and he growled, slamming her into the wall. Following Esther and Abel was the farthest thing from his mind as he pressed her against the wall.

"Yes you do! Tell me where he is!" he demanded, nearly screaming at her. Azmarie flinched from the volume and averted her gaze. "Tell me, right now!"

"I…" Silver tears slipped down pale cheeks, pausing for a moment before falling. Ion blinked, taken aback by the tears that coursed down the brown haired girl's face. "I'm sorry! I don't know. I don't know…" _'I can't tell you where he is. I don't want you to be hurt.' _She thought, and it only served to make the tears fall faster.


	4. Chapter 4

**Authoress Notes:** You will be happy to know -- I think -- that I will be updating this much loved, much neglected Trinity Blood fic more. I'm listening to Requiem Inori right now, which is part of the soundtrack. I love it! ...Who else thinks that Ion's grandmother is a hag for letting her grandson take the blame for her supposed 'murder'? (Is outraged at this, and therefore keeps repeating it)

**Claim:** I own Azmarie and any other characters that might appear of my own cracked out creation.

**Disclaim:** I do not, however, own Trinity Blood. Sadface. D:

_Secret Note: _Yes, I got the idea for Azmarie's name from Azmaria, who is from Chrono Crusade. Which, by the way, the ending of makes me want to cry. And now, behold my (sad) attempt at trying to write a longer chapter to make up for my phail! at updating.

~*~

Silence reigned through the air between the two of them for a few moments as Azmarie tried to stem the flow of tears that were sliding down her cheeks, and she hiccuped, trying to regain her breath. She wanted to burst into tears and ball her eyes out until she couldn't cry anymore to get all of this guilt for hiding so many things from them at the moment, but she couldn't.

Ion seemed surprised at her tears, and distinctly uncomfortable. "I-I'm sorry for making you cry." he murmured, and she stared at him, watery green eyes incredulous. He looked like he was trying to find the right words, and like all of the male gender, didn't seem very good at comforting a crying girl.

The thought made laughter bubble into her throat and she giggled softly, bringing his attention back to her as confusion filled his garnet orbs. "It's nothing, Ion." she said, pushing him away gently so that she could step away from the wall, and her back ached vaguely from the rough handlement, though she dared not voice it to him, for fear of making him feel even worse.

Thoughts of telling him how she actually knew Radu and she had a vague idea of where he was slipped from her mind as she glanced around, pushing brown ringlets away from her face to search for their two companions, who seemed to be missing from the vicinity. "Um...Ion?"

He blinked. "Yes?" he asked, pale blonde hair that looked like spun gold as it swayed to and fro with the soft breeze that smelled of impending rain. He caught the look of uncertainty and faint fear on Azmarie's face, and he frowned, confused. "What is it?"

"Where are Abel and Esther?" she asked, sounding like a lost child who had no idea where her parents had gone. Ion blinked twice before glancing around as well, also coming up short on where the two terran -- well, Abel was a Crusnik which was _not_ a terran, but that was beside the point -- had gone. There was no sign or hint of them, and they both knew that they would be able to tell, as both of them didn't exactly have common colored hair. Esther's hair was like a bright beacon, and so was Abel's.

pNo flash of crimson or silver hair. No large black cloak that displayed the symbol of the AX division, or blue and white habit to be found. It was as if the two had simply disappeared into thin air. "We need to find them." said Ion, grabbing Azmarie's hand and tugging her forward with him. "And we can't use haste, so..."

"Walking it is." Azmarie concluded softly, glancing around. Ion was right when he said that they couldn't use haste to find their friends, because using that abnormal speed would not only drain energy, but also give away to the obviously terran crowds that they were Methusela. And if it wasn't apparent by the apocalyptic war that had gone on centuries ago, terrans and methusela didn't get along very well.

So...yeah. Haste was definately out of the picture.

And the fact that Ion was holding her hand wasn't at the top of Azmarie's list to worry about at the moment as she trotted after him, glancing around for the two that they had lost track of when Ion had pushed her against that wall.

_'I feel really bad about lying to him...'_ thought the brunette, and she bit her lip worriedly, sharper than usual teeth threatening to bite into the flesh of her lip and spill crimson blood down her snowy colored chin. She relaxed, trying to shove the worry and anxiety of decieving the cute methusela boy to the back of her mind to fret over later, when she was alone. _'Ion...'_ Pale, delicate eyelids descended, and her eyes were hidden from view momentarily. _'I'm sorry.'_

"There they are." said Ion, happiness tainting his voice as Azmarie was shaken out of her thoughts and she looked up, her eyes focusing upon the two that they had lost sight of before, and Ion tugged her forward, nearly yanking her off her feet as they reached them. Abel turned, looking surprised before he laughed and smiled.

"About time. We thought we had lost you two." he said, and he blinked upon seeing the two methusela's linked hands. "Oh my. Did Esther and I miss something?"

"Wha..." Azmarie was going to ask what the silver haired priest meant by that, but the fingers curled around her own reminded her of what he was hinting at, and she blushed crimson as Ion let go of her hand, his face roughly the same color as hers.

"A-are we going now?" Ion stumbled over his words, and Esther and Abel shared an amused look as Azmarie pouted and folded her arms over her chest, cheeks still pink. Ion was cute, that she would admit, but she didn't like him like that!

...Did she?

She had just met him, for goodness sake! She mushroom sighed, pressing a cold hand to her forehead. _'I'm starting to get a headache...'_ she thought, dark eyelashes clashing with her cheeks as she closed her eyes briefly before reopening them and following the trio back into the lavish hotel.

"This is our last night here, I'm afraid. So we'll be leaving for a train back to headquarters tomorrow morning." said Abel, apologetic smile on his face. "I'm sure Catarina won't mind the two of you." he added on as an afterthought when the two gave him an unsure look. Ion's was wary, seeing as he had been shot at by Tres, who's codename was Gunslinger last time he had been at the headquarters to talk to Catarina.

They entered the hotel, and Ion grasped Azmarie's hand, stopping the viridian eyed female as she was about to enter the room, and she pulled back, allowing Esther and Abel in first. Ion let go of her hand as she turned around, and she gave him a curious look as her head tilted to the side. "What is it?" she asked, and he averted his gaze, blush touching his cheeks.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you earlier. When I pushed you against the wall. It wasn't right of me, and I--" Azmarie pressed the index finger of her right hand against his lips, silencing the blond who watched her with wide crimson eyes.

Her own emerald eyes soft, a smile spread across Azmarie's carnation pink lips. "It's okay, Ion. I'm not angry with you, okay?" She reached forward, pecking his cheek in a soft, airy kiss before pulling back and turning to enter the room before he could see the fire engine red color of her face. His face turned a darker shade of pink that looked almost like a rose, and he followed her into the room.

Azmarie retreated to her own bed, and she covered up, not bothering to get into her pajamas. She rolled onto her side, back facing the bed that belonged to Ion as she stared pointedly at the wall. She couldn't believe that she had kissed his cheek, and she flushed at the thought. _'What did I just do?'_ she thought, and the sensation of giddiness in her stomach faded into more serious, forboding feeling, like a weight had been dropped into her intestines. _'I fear that...I might not have much freedom left. If _they _find me, they'll...'_

The thought of what _they_ might do to her was enough to sober the brunette, and she frowned, determined not to be caught and pushed back into that constricting cage ever again.

~*~

**Ending Authoress Notes:** How's that for length? Longer than I've been writing, huh? I'm glad that I was able to get this out. Hoorah!


End file.
